A Quiet Honeymoon
by Jadeling
Summary: Luke and Mara go on their honeymoon and it's anything but quiet.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: Because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wondered if the Skywalkers had a quiet honeymoon to themselves._

_Italics indicate inner monologues, (indicate telepathic dialogue)_

**Prologue**

_I don't ask for much, _Mara Jade Skywalker thought as she wandered down the dark, damp hallway of an ancient abandoned temple. _Not really, I just wanted a small, quiet wedding, but noooooooo, it had to be a gigantic to-do at Coruscant. At least the Jedi ceremony was private, but still is it so hard for us to have a quiet, private honeymoon? Is it so impossible for Skywalker and I to have a week to ourselves where the galaxy doesn't have a huge emergency or where we don't get involved with some type of civil dispute between the locals? Well? _She asked herself. Mara began to think that something in the Force just didn't like her as she came to a stop due to the rest of the hallway being blocked off by downed rocks. She'd have to turn around and back track to find another way out of the labyrinth she found herself in.

Retracing her steps, Mara turned a corner. How did this happen? She was on her honeymoon; she was suppose to be spending some quality time with her husband; she was suppose to be enjoying the local landscape and relaxing before she'd have to return to the organized chaos call her life in the New Republic. Instead, she was lost, who knows where, in an underground temple on the planet, with no sign on how to get out. Well, at least she wasn't alone, and she knew that Luke would do all he could to find her once he realized she was missing.

On the other hand, considering who she was stuck with, maybe it would have be nicer if she was alone.

"Any luck?" Her companion asked her when she returned to their makeshift campsite.

Mara found herself looking straight into a pair of gray eyes belonging to Callista Ming, the one time lover of her husband. _Oh yes, something in the Force definitely hates me._


	2. Ch 1 Before the Honeymoon

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: I hope none of the characters seem to OOC, but then again, it's a wedding reception. I suppose some OOC behavior is expected._

**One Week Ago - Coruscant**

Mara knew she probably had the most idiotic grin on her face, but she couldn't help it. It was official, she was the wife of Luke Skywalker; she, the one time Imperial assassin, had married one of the biggest heroes of the New Republic, and she was happy. The wedding was finally over, which meant she no longer had to worry about some lunatic trying to spoil her day, though the deranged Moff came pretty close. The man should be grateful that she was in a good mood, otherwise, who knows what condition the guards would have found him tomorrow morning.

Mara's eyes scanned the room looking for her husband's face. _Husband, I could get use to saying that._ She thought as she found him on the dance floor with his sister. As if he could sense her thoughts, he turned his head to give her a smile, which made her happier, something she didn't think was possible at the moment.

"You're good for him, you know that?" A voice coming from her side told her. Turning she came face to face with Han Solo, ex-smuggler, general and now, her brother-in-law. Something else to get use to, being part of a family. "Care to dance, sis?" Han asked her. Normally, he knew he'd never get away from calling her that without some type of payback. However, he was banking on the fact that she was too happy to care, and he was right.

"Sure," she flashed him a teasing smile, "bro." Taking his outstretched hand, they made their way to the floor.

As they moved to the music, Han surprised her with his next remark, "Thanks."

"I don't understand," the puzzled red head responded.

"For making him happy. Leia and I were beginning to think that Luke would always be alone. I mean lets face it; the kid doesn't have the greatest record. I'm glad you proved us wrong."

"You know me Solo, I live to prove all of you wrong," her tone lightly sardonic but mostly good-natured.

"Can't loose that edge for a moment can you?"

She gave him another brilliant smile, "Nope."

"Well, take good care of him; now that he has you, hopefully he won't get into as much trouble. Though I suppose that may be asking for too much."

"Oh, I do intend to make sure the man doesn't do anything too stupid."

"Good," his eyes became serious. "He deserves to be happy."

"I won't hurt him," Mara told him, "I'm not like her, Solo."

"I know," then the humor came back "'sides, we all know what would happen if you did hurt him."

"You mean Leia and you?"

"And Chewie, and Jacen, and Jaina, and Artoo, and Lando, and the Rogue Squadron, and the other Jedi Knights, heck, I think even some of the Noghri would feel duty bound to do something considering he's the son of Vader and all."

"And to think I use to believe that I could just kill him and get away with it." Their eyes met, and the pair started to laugh.

* * *

Luke Skywalker heard the sound of his wife's laughter and turned to see what she found so humorous. He was surprised to find her laughing with Han about something as they danced. Apparently, Leia also saw the two of them together since she shared his slightly confounded expression. "I wonder what's so amusing." Luke shrugged and continued to admire Mara's elegance on the dance floor. He rarely got to see Mara in a formal setting such as this and the fact that it was their wedding reception made the experience seem more surreal. 

Leia smiled at her brother's unabashed admiration towards his wife. She leaned over to give him a small kiss on the cheek. It brought him out of his reverie as he gave her a puzzled glance. "I'm happy for you. I didn't think I would ever see the day when this would happen." She admitted to him.

"Which, getting married, or being with Mara?"

"Both," she conceded. "It was a bit of a shock when the two of you announced that you were getting married, but after thinking about it and seeing the two of you together, I can't imagine you being with anyone else. She makes you happy, and that's good enough for me. Now if she could just keep you from getting into too much trouble."

"Leia..."

"Not that I need a reason to see my brother; I just rather it's not because you're in another bacta tank, or because Han had to take the _Falcon_ over to some obscure part of the galaxy to get you away from some mad Jedi clone."

"Anything else, dear sister of mine?"

"Han told me your choice for the honeymoon," she responded slyly. "I approve."

"Glad to have my sister's approval over that one, anything else?"

She pretended to think, "No, although I may be asking if I should be expecting a nephew or niece when the two of you get back." Luke's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. Leia giggled at her twin's reaction, you could take the farm boy out of the farm, make him into a fighter pilot, then into a Jedi Master, send him around the galaxy, but you couldn't take the farm out of the boy. "You're whisking your wife to a private leisure planet; you're probably going be alone most of the time, if you think I'm bad, imagine how the others are going to be." She reminded him. He groaned because he realized that she was right.

Sensing her husband's discomfort, Mara turned to see if he was all right. Luke caught her eyes and through the Force sent her reassurances that Leia was only teasing him. Mara's expression changed from being slightly concerned to highly amused as she sensed part of the reason for his embarrassment. She gave her husband a flirtatious wink and the thought that they may have an affirmative answer to Leia's question when they got back, before turning her attention back towards her dance partner. Leia saw the whole exchange between the two lovers and giggled again when she saw Luke's face become redder.

"Mara Jade openly flirting with my brother, who would have thought it possible?"

"We're not flirting." He protested.

Leia shot him an "Are you joking?" look before settling into a soft smile, "It's nice seeing you like this, I don't think you were so at ease when you were together with..." she trailed off before finishing.

"It's all right, Leia. That was the past; this is my future, and you're right. My relationship with Mara is different." He smiled before continuing softly, "It's better."

* * *

Hours later, Mara and Luke finally came to his apartment in Coruscant. They were coming to the door, when Luke suddenly grabbed his wife by the waist and lifted her into his arms. His actions caught his bride by surprise, "Tradition," he explained as he carried her over the threshold then gave her a passionate kiss. 

"And since when did we become a traditional couple?" She murmured.

He grinned at her, "I figured I'd give it a shot." Then he looked around their surroundings, "I must admit, I am surprised that someone isn't bursting in here announcing that they're here to kill us." Artoo warbled an agreement before jacking himself into a recharging unit outside of the bedroom door.

"Don't even joke about that, not here, not tonight." Then a slightly wicked gleam came into her eyes, "Speaking of traditions, isn't there one about the groom helping the bride out of her dress?"

Luke raised an eyebrow at her words, "Why Jedi Skywalker, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Not at all, Skywalker, just pointing out one of the perks of being married." She told him as she began to tug at his shirt. "And don't forget, it's Jade Skywalker."

"Never," he deadpanned as he carried her towards the bedroom. Just as Artoo was about to power down for the night, Luke's voice came out of the room, "Artoo, send a message to Han and tell him that Mara and I might be late tomorrow." Artoo heard Mara laughing in the background before the door closed.

* * *

"I don't understand why you won't tell me where we're going." 

"It's a surprise, Mara."

"I hate surprises, and you know that, Luke."

He tried to act innocent. "Don't you trust me?"

"Not when you're looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

Mara gave her husband a slight smirk as the two of them started to board the _Millennium Falcon, _"Like you're just a naïve farm boy."

"Hey, according to your very own words, I am naïve." He countered.

She grudgingly admitted the fact to him, but decided to switch tactics, "Well, how am I suppose to know that I packed correctly?"

"Leia and the other girls packed for you."

_Shavit, I was hoping he wouldn't remember that detail, hmmm, I wonder which would work better, pouting or giving him the big sad eyes routine?_

"Neither, so stop trying to get me to tell you where we're going," His ice blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Stay out of my head, Skywalker." She growled, more irritated that she couldn't get him to reveal the location of their honeymoon instead of his probe of her mind.

Han Solo grinned as he started to power up his ship. Then Chewbacca howled something. "What do you mean just like Leia and me? We're nothing like them." The Wookie grunted out an response. "Are you kidding? We're much cuter than those two."


	3. Ch 2 And It Started Off so Well

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: Well, I'll just let you guys read._

**Mayastria - Outer Rim**

Luke watched gleefully as Mara's jaw dropped. It was nice knowing that he was one of the few individuals capable of giving Mara a pleasant surprise. "You - you remembered," she stammered as they landed on the planet's surface. Mara had visited the planet once during a run for Karrade and had enjoyed a couple of days on the surface.

Mayastria was one of the many leisure planets in the New Republic, but what made it unique was the policy that all information about guests visiting the planet remained confidential. No holoreporters were allowed on the surface, no bounty hunters could enter without proof that their quarry was planetside, and even then Mayastria officials for verification analyzed the proof. The same policy applied for law enforcement. However, it didn't mean that criminals seeking refuge on the planet overran the planet. Mayastria performed extensive background checks on any person before allowing him or her on the planet. It could take weeks even months before someone was approved. Plus, they had a strict ban against energy weapons, Mara was only allowed to stay on the surface because she had delivered some much needed medical supplies when the populace suffered a rare outbreak, provided that she didn't bring a single blaster or her lightsaber to the surface. And there were no outstanding warrants against her. She always wanted to comeback for a longer visit, but never seemed to have the time. Some years back she had mentioned that desire to Luke, but never imagined that the Jedi Master would recall the passing comment.

"Yeah, I even got us a suite at the S'hao Pa'ling Resort." Mara's eyes widened at the mention of the secluded and exclusive hotel in the city of Linartii. Luke gave her a bemused smile, "Being a decorated war hero and the brother of the former President of the New Republic does have its perks."

Han gave the pair a crooked grin, "Well, here we are, love to stay and chat, but I think the two of you would prefer to be alone." Chewbacca growled out something, but by the nodding of his head, Luke guessed that he was agreeing with the pilot's assessment. Then the big Wookie surprised the Jedi by giving him a big hug and ruffled his head a bit, before doing the same to Mara. Han decided to be a bit more discreet as he shook his best friend's hand. "See you guys back in Coruscant in a week, and congratulations." He told them as Luke ushered Mara out of the ship.

"Wait- aren't you going to come and pick us up?"

"No, I've arranged for transport back, don't worry about it, Mara. Thanks Han, Chewie."

"Not a problem, just relax, have fun, and try to stay out of trouble, remember, it's your honeymoon." Han teased before closing the hatch, then the couple watched as the _Falcon _departed back to the Inner System. As soon as the ship was no longer visible, an employee of the resort introduced himself, as he ordered droids to take their belongings and escorted them to a private air taxi to their suite.

* * *

Luke awoke slightly disoriented, and frowned as he noticed that his bed was empty. He briefly panicked as he thought he had dreamed the past weeks, before seeing Mara standing by the window. It was predawn, and although she was in her robe, her hair disheveled, her eyes showed signs of little sleep, and seemed distracted, Luke couldn't remember when she looked more beautiful. She turned to look at him at that moment and her slight frown turned into a smile, "Flattery will get you almost anything." 

"Only almost?" He teased back, holding out his hand, asking her back to his side.

Her smile widened, "I'll let you know." Then her smiled flickered for a moment, which Luke noticed.

Frowning a bit Luke sat up a little straighter, "What's wrong?"

Mara shook her head before coming back to the bed, allowing her husband to wrap his arms around her. As they embraced she felt the familiar warmth and acceptance, which was her husband's love through the Force enveloping her. She smiled at the sensation, and sent him reassurances that she was fine. "I guess I'm just waiting for the other boot to drop." She told him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, look at how we got engaged. Water filling up a room, no escape in sight, not exactly the most typical of places. Then there was the wedding, which was beautiful and I'm really not trying to complain, but there were the odd assassination attempts against us. I know I'm probably worrying about nothing, but everything seems so perfect, so wonderful, that I can't help but wonder what is going to come and disrupt it." She then gave him a lopsided smile, "Of course it could just be that I feel a bit insecure because I don't have a blaster with me."

"Mara, we're on a leisure planet, no one knows we're here except for a few people in Coruscant, the only ones allowed to contact us are Han and Leia, and I made sure that they're not to disturb us unless the New Republic declares war. Nothing is going to happen. Besides I did manage to convince the government to allow us to travel with our sabers."

"I just have this feeling..."

"Something from the Force?"

She hesitated, her eyes became unfocused for a moment, before answering, "Yes, and no. I don't feel anything sinister or anything immediate, but there is a vague sense of...of something. You're better at this type of thing that I am. You tell me."

Luke considered her words for a moment. "I suppose given who we are, it makes sense that you would feel apprehension about this trip, but whatever you're sensing, I'm not picking up."

"So I'm being overly paranoid."

He tilted his head a bit, "No, it's possible that the Force is giving you this feeling, but it's meant for you, not me, remember you have the better sensitivity to danger. I wouldn't worry about it at the moment; you did say that it wasn't anything urgent or evil."

"In that case, how do you suppose we should occupy ourselves since it's about dawn?"

Luke gave her a rare roguish smile, "I have a couple of ideas."

* * *

They spent most of the day in each other's company, but the next day, Mara insisted on going out. She wanted to show Luke part of the city and explore a bit, plus it was a good time for her to find a good gift for her husband. She'd just take him to a couple of stores and see if anything would catch his attention. It was refreshing for them to walk down a street and not have to worry about being ambushed by holocameras or to be gawked at. They were trying to find a place to eat an early lunch when she first sensed it. Even through her shock, she realized that Luke had sensed the same life force. _What in the Force's name is she doing here?_

Suddenly, Mara's earlier sense of foreboding became clear. She wasn't sensing something, but someone. Standing not 300 meters away from them on the other side of the busy street was Callista Ming. Mara felt the ripples of shock from Callista when she realized that Luke and Mara were staring at her. Taking a quick glance at Luke, Mara could see him steeling himself up for a confrontation between the two women, the thought amused her for a moment, but she ruefully had to admit that she had the urge to just slice the other woman in half right there and then. Returning her attention back to Callista, she noticed that the woman heading towards them.

"Mara, Luke, it's been a while." Callista stated softly.

"Yes, it has, Callista." Luke responded, his voice carefully neutral, but Mara could tell that his feelings were anything but. "How are you?"

"All right, you look well." Her tone was light, however, her eyes betrayed her true feelings. There was regret and yearning, a lot of yearning. "Did the two of you run into each other vacationing or are you two together."

"We came together." Mara confirmed, for a moment she felt pity for the woman standing in front of her. The question revealed that she had yet to hear about her marriage to Luke. "When's the last time you've accessed the HoloNet?"

A flicker of confusion came over Callista's gray eyes, "Not for several months, why, are you two on a mission?"

"No," Luke began gently and slowly. "Mara and I got married, Callista. We're here on our honeymoon."

Although she tried very hard, both Luke and Mara sensed the emotions Callista attempted to hold back. First, came the utter shock and disbelief, then slowly, acceptance, regret, and a great deal of sadness. "I see," was her strained reply before her resolve seemed to strengthen. "You have my best wishes on your marriage. If you'll excuse me, I should leave you two." She gave them a melancholic smile before turning around and soon she became lost in the crowded street.

Luke blinked a couple of times before the reality of the situation sunk in. Callista was here; alive and seemed well, and now was probably very distraught by the revelation that he was married. Then there was Mara, he realized belatedly. She was as shocked as he was about seeing Callista, and judging by the emotions he was sensing, not in a good state of mind either. "Mara."

"I think; I just want to get back to the suite." She told him.

He blinked again, Mara was never this subdue. _Is it just me, or did I suddenly went from Luke Skywalker, the all powerful Jedi Master, to Luke Skywalker, the clueless farm boy from Tatooine, in three microseconds flat?_ "Mara," he tried again. She stopped him by placing her hand lightly over his mouth.

"This isn't the best place to have a talk," came her explanation. Luke sighed as he noticed that she had effectively slammed her mental barriers down tight, and for the most part she was correct. Hashing out what had just occurred in a public place was not what he wanted either. Still, it irked him that Mara would feel the need to block him out at the moment. He furrowed his brows, why would Mara feel the need to block him out? That would be something he'd have to ask her when they got back to their room.

It was childish and a bit stupid, but Mara didn't want Luke to know what she was feeling, not until she figured out what it meant. She was confused by the sudden influx of emotions, she could understand the source of most of them, her righteous anger, the bits of sympathy, along with a sense of disappointment, but the one she couldn't fathom was a sudden surge of insecurity.

Insecurity, what could she possibly feel insecure about? Luke loved her; she didn't doubt that, nor did she believe that he was going to leave her for Callista, yet she still couldn't shake off the festering emotion. She supposed that some of the anxiety stemmed from her concern over her husband's well-being. She was aware that Callista's reappearance threw him more that herself, but if it were only anxiety over Luke's emotions there would be no reason for her to become so closed off. No, it was something else, something she didn't want to admit to herself quite yet. And to be completely honest, something she didn't want to talk about anytime soon. _I wonder if I'll be able to stall once we get back._

Luckily for her, Mara didn't need to make up an excuse. One was waiting for them. Apparently, Han had left a message for Luke that needed his attention immediately. As Luke scanned the message, Mara sensed his annoyance before his own shields went up. _What was that all about?_ "I'm sorry Mara, but I need to-"

"I understand," grateful for the reprieve, Mara's mind quickly thought out a plan of escape. "I'll just go out for a bit. Clear my head."

"Mara-" there came that quiet pleading tone, the one asking her to stay, to open up to him. The one that she wasn't sure she could handle at the moment.

"I'll be gone for a hour, two at the most." She assured him before giving a soft peck on the cheek and then she was gone.

Luke let out an exasperated sigh as flopped himself into a chair. Things were just not going right today, and if Han's message was any indication, things weren't going to get better. When he had told Mara earlier that Han and Leia weren't allowed to contact him unless the known galaxy was about to implode wasn't a lie, but he did omit the only other reason his family may call him. _Well, I should go see what exactly Han meant when he said they ran into a bit of a snag. _He went over to the comm station, "So, what is it going to cost me this time?"


	4. Ch 3 Watch Your Step

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: Ever wonder what goes on in Mara's mind?_

* * *

Han's face appeared before him through the holoprojector, "What no 'hellos,' or 'how are the kids?'" 

"Han, I'm really not in the mood for the small talk."

Han blinked; Luke was never this brusque; the pair must have gotten into a fight. He shrugged before getting to the business at hand, "Well, it seems that for some reason or another, we won't be getting the missiles you asked for."

"What? I thought we had that cleared weeks ago. I filed all of the necessary permits on time."

"Yeah, well they're claiming that they didn't get them. Of course if you wired them an extra 50,000 creds; they're sure that it was just a filing error." Han shrugged, "Bureaucrats, what can you do?"

Luke sighed. "Have you checked with Karrde? Maybe he has some handy."

"First person I called; he doesn't."

"Booster?"

"Sorry, Kid."

"What about your own contacts?"

"I made a couple of calls. It looks like I may be able to swing something."

"Do I want to know how?"

His best friend smirked at the camera, "No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It'll take them longer to get here, an extra 2 days at least, but they'll give us an honest rate for them."

Luke paused, he could swing the extra time needed to stay planetside, the question became, did he want to, or would Mara want to, considering who was on the surface.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Let's go with your plan; I'll think of something to tell Mara."

"She hasn't figured anything out yet, has she?"

Luke shook his head. "No...we've been a bit distracted."

Han gave him his patented crooked grin, "I'll bet."

Luke grimaced at his friend's insinuation. His frustration level was starting to rise again. "Callista's planetside," he blurted out.

His friend's grin suddenly became a thin line. "Does Mara know?"

"She was there when we ran into her."

"Want me to get Leia?"

He was about to tell Han not to bother her, but then thought the better of it. "Actually, could you?" The other man nodded before leaving the scope of the holocam to retrieve his wife. Luke could hear their muffled voices and then a faint incredulous shriek, then he heard an incensed "How dare she? Where's a bunch of Noghri assassins when you need them?" and in the next minute he was looking into the face of his very livid sister.

"What in the Emperor's name is SHE doing there?" Fury and scorn dripped from her every word.

"Leia-"

"So what? She found out about the wedding and decided to sabotage your honeymoon? The nerve of that woman! She didn't ask you to take her back did she? How did Mara react? Did she hurt that woman? I hope Mara used her blaster on her; oh wait, Mayastria doesn't allow blasters. Did she have her vibroknife with her, ooh, even better did she use her lightsaber?"

As his twin continued with her tirade, Luke couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. How like his sister to become indignant and infuriated over what she considered an affront to him and his happiness. "Leia, calm down."

"But Luke-"

"She didn't know we'd be down there. Leia, she didn't even know we were married."

"Oh," Leia expression softened at his words, "how did she find you?"

"We found her actually;" seeing Leia's brows furrow in confusion Luke began to clarify. "Mara and I were just walking on a street when we..."

"Luke?"

Luke's eyes widened as he realized what exactly had happened out in the street, "We felt her."

"I don't- Luke you're not making sense."

"Callista," He told her through clenched teeth. "We felt Callista before we saw her."

Leia paused apprehending the implications of his statement, "She found her way back to the Force?"

Luke's eyes became unfocused as he relived the moment Mara and he stood in the busy street. He was about to suggest a small café when he felt her presence. It was faint, like a star's light dimming before it burns out, but it was there. Luke's mind came back to the present, "It was her." He confirmed, "But it was very weak, like it was being muted, not by her though." His eyes became pained, "Why didn't she contact me? Why didn't she let me know?"

His sister's tone was sympathetic, "Maybe she wasn't ready to face you; maybe she just felt like she didn't have the right." Leia decided to change the subject, "How did she take the news?"

"Like you'd expect. She was surprised; then she left."

"How about you? How are you taking it?"

"The shock is beginning to wear off, otherwise I'm all right."

"Really?"

"Well, I am feeling some guilt." Seeing Leia's puzzled face, Luke started to explain, "She shouldn't have found out like that."

Leia gave him a small sympathetic smile, "It wasn't like you could send her a message or tell her in person. You didn't even know where she was, Luke."

"I told her I'd love her forever."

"She shouldn't have expected you to wait forever," Leia countered. "Besides, she left you. Twice. As far as I'm concern, she had her chance and she didn't take it. It's not unrealistic that you would have moved on. Speaking of which, how is Mara taking all of this?"

Luke winced at the mention of his wife's name, "I'm not sure. She pretty much shut me out once we saw Callista."

"Didn't you talk about it?"

At once, Luke started to feel defensive, "We were going to talk when we got back here, but then I got Han's message, and she left."

Leia's eyes went wide; her next words were slow and deliberate. "And. You. Didn't. Go. After. Her?"

Luke gulped. "She didn't want me to." _I guess I was right about that clueless farm boy transformation._

Then came the explosion, "And that's your excuse for not going? What's wrong with you?" _Yes, definitively the clueless farm boy right now. _"You should have made her stay and talked things out."

"Leia, do you really think I could 'make' Mara do anything?"

Now, it was Leia's turn to wince at Luke's words, "You do have a point..."

* * *

She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going. All Mara knew was that she just wanted to be alone to think. She was lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the sign marking where crews were blasting land for construction; luckily, a worker saw her and stopped her from entering the zone. Figuring the native knew the area better than she did, Mara asked the man if he could tell her where to find a couple of quiet places. He gave her the directions to a nearby waterfall, but warned her not to get to close to the edge since they were still blasting and even from that distance she would feel tremors. Once again she tried to locate the source of her anxiety. _It's like I feel threatened by her._ Mara rolled her eyes at the thought. _No way! Why would I feel threatened by that body snatcher? _She thought disdainfully. "Great, now I sound like a jealous wife," she muttered as she came to the falling water. _I'm not jealous of her. I have no reason to be jealous of Callista; if anything I should pity her. She had a long-term relationship with Luke; if she wanted to she could have stayed, could have made it work. But she didn't. Her choice, her loss, not my problem._ It should have been as cut and dry as Mara was trying to make it. However, no matter how she tried, she couldn't. In her mind an insidious thought kept running through her mind. _Callista was a Jedi Knight._

_Well, I am now too._

_She was a Knight of the Old Republic. She came back from the **dead** to be with him._

_I threatened to kill Luke several times and never did. That counts. _Even as she repeated the words to herself, they seemed weak.

_She was the type of person people expected Luke to be with. A Jedi Knight, respected, serene, wasn't an Imperial Agent._

_Luke accepted my past; that's all that matters._

_She got to spend a lot of time with him. She even agreed to live with him on Yavin IV_

_Oh, please, she was there for what? Less than a year? I spend time with Luke!_

_Sure you do, when you know it'll only be for a couple of weeks, and then you're off again. At least she was **willing** to make a long-term commitment to him._

_Hey, I have responsibilities!_ Mara shouted to that annoying little voice her head. _'Sides, Skywalker and I already talked about this. We both understand why I didn't, why I can't stay at Yavin IV._

But the voice wouldn't stop. _Then you had to go along with that silly cover story about you and Lando._

_What is this? Remind Mara-of-all-of-the-stupid-things-she's-done hour?_

_No...well...yes...yes...I suppose this is. _

This must be some type of mind control.

Wouldn't that be convenient? The voice mentioned playfully. _Unfortunately, you're stuck with me. _

And what are you? My worst fears personified?

Close.

Then why don't I hear you more often.

_Usually, you don't hear me, because, well, you usually repress me._

_Hmph, next time I'll just kill you._

_Temper, temper,_ the voice tsked her, _remember Anger is of the Dark Side._

_Oh, will you just get to your krffing point?_

_Gladly, like I was saying, I'm the part of you that lets you know when you're just full of bantha fodder. Most of the time you don't need me, but every once in a while..._

_So, are you just going to tell me that I am threatened by Callista's presence?_

_No._

_No?_

_Well, a tiny bit of you is threatened, but that's normal and typical, and you can handle that on your own without me. No, you're worried about something else._

_Mind enlightening me?_

_You know, I'm surprised Disdain isn't of the Dark Side. Anyway, back to the million credit question, well it's- _

Mara never got to hear that little voice finish. The snapping of a branch warned her of someone's presence; she grimaced as she realized that she didn't detect another person nearby. _That's what happens when I have conversations with myself. _Turning around she half expected her husband and had some choice words to impart to him. However, it wasn't Luke. She scowled at the intruder of her solitude, "Are you following me?" Callista recoiled at the harshness of Mara's tone, but her reaction only confirmed Mara's suspicions. Her eyes narrowed into her patented death glare, and she crossed her arms, "Why?"

Callista gave her a awkward smile, "I guess I needed to make sure that what I learned was true. I guess I needed convincing that you were really together."

Mara could understand that reasoning, but she also knew that Callista was holding something else back. "You could have just accessed information about us over the HoloNet. Still doesn't explain why you were following me."

Callista opened her mouth to answer, but she closed it again. Obviously, she was having trouble finding an appropriate answer. _Good, I'm making her squirm. _Callista stared at the water for a moment before turning around again. "I suppose I just wanted to make sure that you really did care for him. That you wouldn't hurt him."

Mara's jaw dropped. _The nerve of that, that, insignificant, inarticulate, Delusional, Paranoid, **BANTHA BRAINED**, **SPICE ADDLED** **NUMB WIT**!_ "You think," her words were venomous and hissed as they left her mouth, "you think that I would hurt him? Looked in a mirror lately?" _How dare she imply; what right did she have? _Mara's mind was so focused in her anger that she almost missed it.

It was a small flicker like a flame was being lit only to be blown out. It was enough for Mara to realize that something was about to happen, but not enough for her to avoid what occurred next. The pair heard in the distance the sound of a blast, then the large fluttering of birds as they tried to escape the debris and dirt. Both women tried to hunch down to avoid the winged animals; although Callista moved quickly, she just wasn't quick enough. She ended up in the path of some of the birds. To avoid getting hurt she instinctively raised her hands and moved backwards. Towards the cliff. Mara's mind grasped the danger and without conscious thought, shot out her arm to grab the other woman.

The idea was for Mara to reach Callista, and then pull her back towards safe ground. It would have worked, but Mara missed a crucial detail. She forgot about the tremors, from the blasting. As Mara moved, the ground moved; and Mara was unprepared. The shaking ground made the Jedi loose her balance, giving her more forward momentum, more than she had intended, and she didn't have time to reverse herself. So instead of catching Callista, Mara effectively grabbed the woman before they fell over the cliff's edge.

When one starts to free-fall down a steep slope, Mara knew the instinct is to scream. To scream in hopes that one's voice is heard over the crashing of rushing white water over rocks. To scream in hopes that a person will come to help, that somehow, somebody would find a way to stop one's descent. To scream because gravity and panic paralyzes the rest of the body from reacting, and all one can do is scream. Mara opened her mouth, but found she had no voice. Her descent was too quick and it seemed like her vocal cords were locked in a vacuum. Fear of her own mortality began to overtake her. She had only one thought as she plummeted towards the raging waters.

_LUKE!_

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Leia asked her twin. 

"Yes, Leia, I'll be fine. I really should go find Mara. I know she said she'd be back, but I should have gone after her."

Leia nodded at his words, "Did you want to say good-bye to Han?"

"No, let him have his fun. Thank him again for me, would you?"

She snorted, "He should be thanking you. The last time Chewie and he looked so excited it was because they were installing a new custom shield on the _Falcon._ Now they get to customize a whole ship." Leia grinned, "I just wish I could see Mara's reaction when she sees it. Love you."

Luke returned his sister's smile, "Love you too." Then the projector shut off. After talking to his sister, Luke started to feel more optimistic. Hopefully, by now Mara wouldn't be angry with him for defying her wishes. He was halfway out of the room when he felt it. He doubled over as his wife's panic flooded him.

_(LUKE!)_

And then there was silence.


	5. Ch 4 Here's a History Lesson

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: Here's some more_

**

* * *

**Mara didn't know how much time had past or where she was when she awoke from the trance. Thankfully, learning how to go into a hibernation trance was one of the things Luke was able to teach her before they had gotten married, and at the moment she was extremely grateful she had demanded the lessons after their return from Nirauan. She remembered the first steep fall. She remembered crashing into the water and being swept up by the current only to fall further down a second smaller, less violent fall before entering the trance. Mara vaguely recalled what occurred after that. By then the current wasn't nearly as swift, but still was strong enough to take her quite a distance before cascading down again. Eventually, the waters calmed and from what Mara could see she had traveled with it to another underground location. Noting that her lightsaber was still on her belt; she took it off and activated the beam for some illumination. _All right, why do I always get stuck on some planet completely lost, disoriented, and with the one person in the universe I don't want with me?_ She thought resignedly as she notice another figure in the water. 

Luckily the water wasn't very high and Mara was able to quickly get to Callista. The other woman was also unconscious, but she was breathing. Carefully, Mara guided Callista's body to dry land and once they were on solid ground, Callista began to awake. She instinctively turned to her side and began to cough up the water that she taken in. Mara was also starting to cough and knelt on the ground as she allowed her body to adjust.

"Where are we?"

* * *

When Luke couldn't feel Mara's presence in the Force, his own fear and panic over her well being rose. Remembering how easily he was fooled at Nirauan was the only thing that allowed him to calm himself. There were several possibilities as to why he couldn't sense Mara; the only one he wouldn't consider was if she died. Unconscious, ysalamiri induced Force voids, whatever the reason, Luke was determined to exercise patience, to wait. He knew that he could have ran out of the room and launch a full out investigation, but that in his haste would probably miss more details, more clues until he calmed down. Luke closed his eyes and breathed. And waited. Twenty minutes later, he was rewarded with Mara's faint presence; reaching out further he inwardly cringed; it appeared his wife was not alone. _Just what I need, my wife alone with my ex-lover, I'm not sure whom I should feel sorry for, Mara, Callista or myself._ He tried to reach Mara's mind; to see if he could locate her. However, it seemed that she didn't know where she was either, except that she was somewhere underground, and there was running water. Though the contact was brief and not very strong, Mara conveyed enough to assure Luke that she and Callista were relatively unharmed. 

Luke opened his eyes; it wasn't much but it was a start. Considering what he knew, Luke deducted that Mara had probably tried to find a relatively quiet place to think. He forced himself to relive the moment he heard her call him before there contact was cut off. She was panicking about something; his mind flickered back to the sound of running water. He frowned; why did he keep thinking about running water? No, not running, it was more violent, more like a constant roaring. Falling water. Mara must have been near a waterfall. Resolutely, he left the room, and started upon the task of searching for his wife.

It didn't take him long to find the waterfall in question. Checking the ground he didn't see any clear signs of attack, but one could never be too sure. On the other hand, based on what Mara had expressed it didn't seem like either person deliberately tried to push the other over the cliff. His eyes followed the flow of water. Mara and Callista must have survived the fall and ended up in the river's current. Hopefully he'd be able to follow it to find Mara.

"Master Skywalker?" Luke turned to see one of the resort employees, by the name of Chak'lai. "Master Skywalker, this area isn't safe. Construction crews have been blasting a site some kilometers away. The tremors could cause you to loose balance and fall."

_So that's what happened to the two of them_ "Tell me, where does the water flow to?" He asked as he moved further away from the edge.

The employee stiffened at Luke's question, "We don't know where it stops." Seeing Luke's puzzled expression the employee clarified. "We don't build anything along the river banks of that river. All I know about it is that it continues in that direction for a couple hundred meters before cascading again, and repeats that cycle until it falls deep underground. We on Mayastria don't go near it except for the initial waterfall."

"Why not?"

"The ground is cursed."

* * *

Mara shook her head, "I don't know." She activated her saber again in hopes to get some inkling to their location. Callista followed suit when her convulsions stopped. "I don't recognize anything, do you?" Mara asked as she began to scan their surroundings. The ground appeared to be stone and uniform, as were some of the walls nearby. It suggested that they were in some type of underground structure, but Mara wasn't sure. She started to walk in the direction that the river had brought them, but something told her that she wouldn't be able to find a way out if she continued. 

She wondered what she should do when she felt Luke's anxiety. Wincing, Mara realized belatedly that she had forgotten to try to contact her husband. _Really must get use to having someone worry over me. _Normally, she would have scowled at Luke's overprotective nature, but at the moment it filled her being with a nice warmth. She quickly relayed that she was physically all right and that Callista seemed to be fine as well. She felt Luke's chagrin at the idea of the two of them alone together, which she smirked at. She could tell that Luke wanted to know where they were, but she could only give him a tentative answer. She sensed his disappointment, but knew that his disappointment wasn't directed at her, but at their situation. He conveyed his love before letting the connection fade, presumably to go find them. Glancing behind her, she noticed that Callista seemed more interested in something on the wall. Frowning she head back towards the other woman, "Callista, did you hear me?"

Mara's voice pierced through Callista's mental fog, "I'm sorry; I was just noticing the carvings, look."

The redheaded Jedi placed her saber closer to the area that had caught Callista's attention. They were crude but Mara understood the other woman's fascination, because they depicted of a type of battle, a battle where on both sides the fighters were brandishing lightsabers. So they were definitely in some manmade structure, but then came the question, what exactly were they stranded in? An abandoned fortress, castle, temple?

"There's a legend," Callista murmured. "From the days of Old Republic, of a temple in Mayastria.

* * *

"Generations ago, Mayastria was not the leisure planet you see before you, Master Skywalker; we were a violent people always at war with each other. Eventually the civil wars divided us into two groups, the noble House of Kr'vidos and the accursed House of Ml'vaidos. We fought among ourselves for years before the House of Ml'vaidos began to invade neighboring systems and demanded warriors and resources to continue the war. Those not yet invaded decided to pledge support to Kr'vidos in hopes to stop the Ml'vaidians from taking complete control. 

One day a small vessel wandered into the system and experienced engine trouble. The pilot attempted an emergency landing, but he was unsuccessful and the vessel crashed somewhere in Ml'vaidians territory. Amazingly enough there were survivors, but they couldn't remember who they were, where they were from, or where they were suppose to go. However, it turned out that they were great warriors and other talents useful to the Ml'vaidians, so their leaders convinced the warriors that lived to serve them."

* * *

"There was a civil dispute, between the Houses of Kr'vidos and the Ml'yaidos, which plunged the entire population into war, soon it began to spread to other worlds, as each side called on their planetary allies for supplies." 

"And soldiers," Mara added grimly.

Callista nodded, "Eventually, the Jedi were called to try and negotiate a cease fire, but it was trap. There was no plan to attempt a cease-fire. Ml'yaidans ambushed the Jedi, and the Jedi Counsel was told that no one survived. However, soon after there were reports of the Ml'yaidans decimating the Kr'vidans because of new strike team."

"I take it that the counsel wasn't satisfied with the explanation they were given."

"No, they weren't," Callista confirmed. "They secretly sent another delegation to Mayastria to ascertain the true fate of the first delegation. This time, the Kr'vidans befriended them. I don't recall all of the events that occurred afterwards, but eventually the Jedi had to fight in the war and that's when they found out the new fighters were their friends. Somehow the opposing side had managed to wipe just the personal memories of the first delegation."

Mara froze at her words, "What do you mean 'just the personal?'"

"It was like they had selective amnesia. They knew basic things like language, fight skills, social skills but they didn't remember who they were. That's how Jedi ended up fighting Jedi, as seen in the carvings. Jedi vs. Jedi, one side trying to convince the other that they really were suppose to be together; the other believing that they were meant to destroy those who opposed Ml'yaidans in order to survive. They fought for hours, according to the legend they fought non-stop for days, but we both know even Jedi have their limits." Callista told the other woman.

"So what happened?"

* * *

"It didn't take long before a second vessel came into the system. They were searching for their friends; the warriors now in the thrall of the Ml'yaidans. Someone from the House of Kr'vidos found out about the vessel and one of the leaders of the Kr'vidans tried to convince the new set of warriors that their friends were being held against their will by the Ml'yaidans. 

Few days later, there was a skirmish by the Ml'yaidans, and these new warriors recognized the weapons used by the enemy. They were the ones that they themselves used in battle. They realized that the words of the House of Kr'vidos to be true. So they agreed to help the Kr'vidans in hopes of saving their friends.

When they finally met in battle, it became clear that the only battle that would matter was between the two sets of foreign fighters. We're told that it was glorious; it lasted for days; the night lit up to become day. Both groups were equal in strength, and it probably would have ended in stalemate if not for her."

Luke frowned, "Who's her?"

* * *

"A female Jedi on the Kr'vidans' side realized how futile her attempts to reason with her opponent had become. She deactivated her lightsaber and told her opponent, her fellow Jedi that if he didn't believe her than he could strike her down. If her body remained than she was lying, and the Ml'yadians were right, but if her body disappeared then she was right, and she'd become one with the Force." 

Mara snorted, "Doesn't seem like a very smart idea."

Callista shrugged, "It worked; according to the legend anyway. The confused Jedi fighting her hesitated and through the Force realized that she was telling the truth. He threw down his lightsaber, and the others followed suit."

"I can't imagine the Ml'yadians being very happy about that type of development."

Callista nodded, "The leader of the house was frightened and in his fear fired his weapon against the female Jedi. She was caught unaware and as she predicted there was no body; she just became one with the Force upon death. This frightened the soldiers fighting under the Ml'yadians and they revolted against the house. Ml'yados never recovered after that day, yet the peace process was able to begin for Mayastria. Afterwards, in order to never repeat the mistakes of the survivors built a monument to record the events; the remaining Jedi agreed to help with its construction. They even built it over an area strong in the Force. Some even say that the spirit of the female Jedi lingered at the monument to guide those whom come to it, seeking wisdom."

* * *

"A ethereal being disguised as one of the warriors, we all refer to her as the Stellar Passenger; foretold that if she was killed that she would ascend to a higher power and bring down destruction to those who went against her. However, in his arrogance, the leader of Ml'yados believed her to be a pretender, a fraud, and fired at her without thinking of the consequences, but there was no one there. She had ascended as she told the Ml'yadians. 

Comprehending that they had effectively brought down their own doom; the Ml'yadians attempted to forestall this by striking down all of the blood descendants of the Ml'yados. They hoped to appease the Stellar Passenger's anger, and she accepted their offering. With the House of Ml'yados in ruins, the House of Kr'vidos was able to liberate many of the Ml'yadians imprisoned and enslaved. Then they built a great temple in honor of the Stellar Passenger, and she graced us with her presence and wisdom for generations."

* * *

"Generations past, stories become exaggerated and corrupted, and eventually the monument became a temple. A temple worshiping the fallen Jedi as a god, and while the Jedi Counsel attempted correct this attitude, the general population of Mayastria and its neighboring systems couldn't be convinced otherwise. However, those who did actually seek mercy, wisdom, at the temple did apprehend that there was no goddess to worship, only a reminder of a tragic planetary history. 

It didn't take long before the Sith heard of the temple, along with the rumors of the strong Force presence inside of the temple. Eager to harness such power, and a possible new location to build a Sith base, they journeyed to Mayastria. Of course the natives weren't about to allow anyone desecrate the temple, but they were no match against the Sith. So the spirit did the only thing she could do."

Mara felt a small shiver crawl up her spine, "What did she do?"

* * *

"Eventually corrupt beings jealous of our peace and happiness came to Mayastria to destroy us. We were no match to such powers, and in their rampage they made their way to the temple. We warned them; tried to get them to turn away and leave, but to no avail. We prayed for assistance, and the Stellar Passenger answered us. She used her powers to destroy the invaders." 

Luke felt a chill as he asked his next question, "What did she do?"

* * *

"She waited until the Sith were in the heart of the temple, and then using the Force, she buried the temple."

* * *

"The ground swallowed the entire temple. No one could get in"

* * *

"No one could get out. I don't think we'll be able to find a way out." 

Mara just stared at the other woman. It seemed like she locked eyes with Callista for hours, but in reality Mara knew it was only for a couple of seconds before she looked away and turned around. "Well Callista, it's obvious that you don't know me very well.

* * *

"No one who has tried to find the temple has ever returned. The Stellar Passenger won't allow it. I'm sorry, Master Skywalker. If your wife found a way into the temple, she's trapped inside; she won't be allowed to return to the land of the living." 

Luke nodded at the employee's words; his eyes had become as cold as transparisteel, but not from anger, nor from despair. They were filled with cold determination, "With all due respect Chak'lai, it's obvious that you don't know my wife."


	6. Ch 5 You Keep the Strangest Company

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; all rights belong to the genius we know as George Lucas. Mara Jade is the creation of another genius named Timothy Zahn, while Callista Ming was created by Barbra Hambly another gifted individual. I'm just borrowing. I'm not making any type of profit off this story, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully to the enjoyment of others. _

_Author's Notes: Now you're all caught up with forceboards and utopicworlds boards._

**Right after Prologue**

Mara slid down to the ground close to the fire that they built. After hearing the story Callista told her, she decided to see what laid ahead in one of the tunnels. Callista offered to stay back and that was when Mara noticed the woman was shivering. Belatedly, Mara also began to notice how cold she too had become. Realizing that it wouldn't do to get pulmonary sickness or some other virus; Mara began to search for some way to provide a heat source; the two lightsabers just weren't adequate for the job. Luckily, Callista began to forage as well and soon they gathered enough dried twigs and other materials to try to build a fire.

The blaze helped, but Mara was never really the type that would just sit and wait. Besides, she survived under worse conditions, and she really wanted to find a way out of the temple. Of course that was before she spent two hours walking down different, dark corridors only to find all of them blocked some way or another. Plus, she really, really, didn't want to admit defeat in front of Callista; the idea of Callista being right rankled Mara, not that she'd ever tell the other that.

"You didn't find a way I take it."

Mara's sour expression was the only response Callista received.

"I see."

The flickering and dancing of the fire present were the only sounds emanating from the site as both women refused to speak. Mara kept her focus on the fire. _If it looks like I'm concentrating then maybe she won't talk to me._ It was a mite childish, but Mara was tired, hungry, and very frustrated. She figured some childish behavior was allowable at this point. Besides Callista was smart enough to figure out that Mara didn't want to deal with her just yet.

The tentative silence was broken by a very low and soft question, "Is he happy?"

Then again, maybe not.

_I suppose I forgot that Callista has a death wish._ "Excuse me?"

Callista cleared her throat before speaking, "Is he happy?" She repeated.

Mara only stared at the other woman, her intense emerald eyes burning holes into Callista's soul. A million different responses entered through her mind as she stared across the flames. She could be brutally honest and truthfully she really wanted to, but realized that it would be cruel. Not that it had ever stopped Mara before, but at the moment it would seem like she was gloating. She liked to be smug and irritate people, but she didn't like kicking them when they were down. "Why do you want to know?" She asked the other woman, her tone purposefully flat.

"Morbid curiosity." Callista offered. Mara was definitely not expecting that answer and Callista seemed to sense that as she let out a small chuckle, "In fact, you could say it was my morbid curiosity that brought me here in the first place."

Mara raised an eyebrow, "How so?" She asked unable to reign in her own curiosity.

She hesitated before answering, "I-I wanted to see if the stories of the temple were true."

Mara caught the flicker in emotions, "There's more to it, isn't there?"

Understanding that there was no point in denying, Callista took a steadying breath. "There's a rumor that the spirits of those who died are trapped in the temple as well."

Mara blinked as her mind began to fully comprehend Callista's words. _I knew she wasn't mentally stable. I mean she left Luke, who in their right mind would leave Luke?_

_Well, you did. Several times actually._

_Not this again, I thought I said I'd kill you if you spoke again._

_Yeah, _the voice scoffed. _Like I'd believe that._

_Besides I didn't "leave" him exactly. I had responsibilities; anyway, what was she thinking?_

_You're asking me? Half of the time I don't understand your reasoning, let alone attempt to decipher that insane woman's._

_At least we both agree that Callista is unstable._

"It's really not as bad as it sounds." Callista murmured.

Mara's eyes flashed at the other woman, "Really, does the name Exar Kun mean anything to you?"

"Yes, but unlike Kyp, I'm not strong enough to sense them at all."

Mara paused, _Damn it she has a point._

"Besides I'm not interested in communing with the Sith or any Dark Jedi."

"But you are curious about the female Jedi? Why, so you can reminisce being non-corporal?"

Callista shrugged, "I told you it was morbid."

Mara ignored her, her mind mulling over Callista's words. She couldn't sense any deception from her, and yet, Mara couldn't shake a nagging feeling that she was missing something incredibly important. Mara's eyes suddenly narrowed at her ineptness, and she swore to herself. She really was going soft. "How long!" She hissed at the other woman.

* * *

Luke didn't find anyone who would go with him, but at he didn't mind. In fact he was actually grateful for the lack of company. He couldn't explain why he felt better not having another person to aid him in his quest to locate Mara, but he did. However, Luke also had a hunch that he wouldn't be alone for very long either. _Proddings from the Force, no doubt,_ his mind told him. He shook his head ruefully as he continued his trek across the riverbank. 

After assuring the hotel manager that he wasn't crazy or suicidal, Luke finally was able to begin his search for the two women. Unfortunately it took him longer than he expected since no one in the city would provide him transport down to the riverbank. He had to do that on his own. At least he didn't have to worry about lifting Artoo this time around. Still it would have been nice if he had gotten his hands on some sort of transport he surmised as he encountered another cascade.

One hour and two other smaller cataracts later, Luke found that the river disappeared underground. When he noticed entered a forest he felt something very familiar. He took a cautious step forward as if he were expecting an attack from behind one of the trees. The Jedi paused; he was acting as he did when he was in the cave at Dagobah. This produced a shake of his head as he wondered what had made him think of the swamp planet, especially that dark and damp cave. He was in completely different circumstances; Mayastria was a pleasure planet, and he wasn't worried about some old superstition, still, he couldn't stop the pervading sense of anxiety.

"It does have that type of foreboding sense to it, doesn't it?" Luke whirled around, lightsaber blazing to find himself pointing it at an apparition, bathed in a familiar blue light. From what Luke could tell the apparition was female, her eyes were green, not like Mara's intense emerald hue, more of a deep sea blue-green. She too had red hair, but unlike his wife's red gold, she had more of a brownish tint. The being gave him a mysterious smile; "It's been a while since I've seen a lightsaber on Mayastria. So tell me young Master, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Luke relaxed his posture a bit and then deactivated his weapon, but still kept it in his hand, one could never be too sure. He spent the next couple of seconds looking over his new companion. Now he understood his odd sense of relief about being left alone. If someone was with him, several different possibilities would have occurred, but the three most likely were, the other person would have believed Luke to be loosing his mind, unless said person was Force-sensitive, been frighten out of their wits, or start to worship the being as the vaulted "Stellar Passenger."

The mention of the mythical figured reverberated in Luke's mind. He could tell from Chak'lai's narrative that the legend was very old, but if one began to chip away the exaggerations and the bias, one could comprehend that the legend did speak some truth. In fact when one considered what Chak'lai said about the warriors and the "Stellar Passenger" Luke couldn't dismiss the possibility that some of them may have been Force-sensitive. If Chak'lai exclamation on the woman's continued appearance following her death after so many years was true, then it only confirmed that she was very strong in the Force, probably a Jedi Master. The woman's smile seemed to grow as the thought crossed Luke's mind.

"You really are strong in the Force, aren't you?" she murmured.

"The Force is strong in my family," he acknowledged. "It seems to be strong with you as well."

"I'm one with the Force now." She easily quipped, "You have yet to answer my first question."

Luke let out a rueful grin, "Forgive my lack of manners, milady, I came searching for my wife."

"I see and instead you find a deceased Jedi Master. Must be," she paused to think over her next word, "frustrating."

If this occurred to a younger Luke, he probably would have been perturbed by the observation, but this time he only smiled, "At least I won't have to continue on my search alone."

"Oh?" There came that smile again, "What makes you believe that I'll help you?"

"Jedi hunch," Luke quickly supplied. "According to the locals, this area is protected by benevolent being, who would help those looking for aid, and I believe that you are that being, their 'Stellar Passenger.'"

"'Stellar Passenger,' yes, I suppose after a couple thousand years some language corruption would occur." The spirit surmised, "Still it's been generations since I've interacted with another sentient being, how can you be sure that I'm not some capricious soul and will abandon you?"

"That would go against the Code, which you died for."

"Yes, but the Code changed drastically from the time I lived to the present."

"True, but still you honor the core, the intent of the Code, to serve, to aid. I need help to find my wife, Mara; you know the area, you probably even know a way to reach her. I only ask for you to show me the way."

She tilted her head in acquiescence, "Well spoken, Master Skywalker." The specter smirked at his surprise, "Yes, I know who you are. After all I am one with the Force," she reminded him. "Unlike that son of a Hutt, Exar, I can leave Mayastria and join the Force completely, but I choose not to."

Although thoughts of Mara and her current situation were still present in him mind, Luke couldn't help but become curious over her words. "Why not?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"It seems like you've been waiting an awfully long time."

"What is time to one who is no longer living?"

"Still, it must get lonesome."

She giggled at his remark, "I see you have yet to understand, Master Skywalker. I am never alone; the Force is my constant companion, and though you cannot see or feel them, other souls reside and visit Mayastria as well. Does this contradict what you know?"

"I just remember a time at Yavin IV when," he shivered as he recalled when his spirit was imprisoned. "If not for my students...but besides Exar taunting me, there was no one else."

"Perhaps it was because you were desperately clinging to your mortal life, you couldn't hear the voices of your former masters. Perhaps it was because like all beings you were afraid of the unknown, and therefore unable to feel the essence of the Force." She then smirked, "Or perhaps it just wasn't your time. The Force does work in mysterious ways." She suddenly became serious once again, "However, that should be a discussion for another day. I fear our original conversation has veered off course. You were looking for your wife."

"She and another fell off a cliff and the current swept them down here. Where does the river flow to?"

The spirit turned and lifted her finger to point the direction of the river. As she spoke, a small beam of light seemed to illuminate a path for Luke to follow. "The river continues to travel underground for another 600 meters before it stops at what is now an underground lake. Your wife and companion are most likely in the former courtyard of the monument that once existed." She noticed Luke's hesitation, "You seem apprehensive."

"I'm not sure why, but this area reminds me of a place on Dagobah. Something from the wood..." Luke muttered before glancing back at the woman.

"Most people don't catch that, then again, it's been generations since someone has ventured this far into forest. There is a tree, called 'Lagnim Minr'"

"'Mirror wood?'"

"Close, in my time it translated to 'Tree of Emotion.' Basically, the trees are Force sensitive, and they react to emotions, very strong emotions."

Luke considered her words, along with the impressions he had, "They reflect what a person is feeling."

"Among other things." She added.

"Were there many of these around the monument you spoke of?"

She stared at the Jedi, "They surrounded it."

Understanding began to flood his mind, "You didn't bring the monument down..."

"...they did." She finished for him.

"If I go farther into the heart of this forest, what will I encounter?"

"Only what you bring with you."

"And if I brought a guide..."

"...then I'll show you the way."


End file.
